Saas Fee is one of Switzerland’s most famous resorts for an active mountain holiday. Its car-free center has those cute little wooden mountain huts which are so typical of Switzerland and stunning views are everywhere around you. Saas Fee holds a few records as it has the highest Alpine Metro which takes you all the way up to the highest turning panoramic restaurant in the world. From the restaurant in Mittelallalin, you will see peaks of over 4.000 meters high everywhere around you.
The town also has lots of restaurants, shops, two supermarkets, and a lot of activities to cater for the whole family.
Saas Fee in Winter
We went on a ski holiday to Saas Fee twice and loved it! Saas Fee has everything a family may need, from a good ski school that caters for little ones, to cool and fun snow parks where bigger children can practice their jumping skills. Saas Fee has received the Swiss ‘Family Destination’ label, which means it is a resort which is specifically good for families.
Saas Fee Ski School
There are two ski schools in Saas Fee. One is the ESS ski school, the national Swiss ski school, which caters for all levels, the other one is the Eskimo Ski School. We always have our kids in the ESS ski school, because their system and levels are the same in all the Swiss resorts. Our youngest son started to ski in Saas Fee on the magic carpet, and our eldest son was in the Swiss Snow Academy in Saas Fee where children are also taught important things like ‘what to do in case of an avalanche’. We think it is very important that the ESS has included such things for bigger children who are already confirmed skiers.
Saas Fee Ski School meeting point
If you have your children in a ski class in Saas Fee, it may be a good idea to check out hotels that are close to the ski school meeting point so that you don’t start your morning with a big walk in uncomfortable shoes. The Ski School meeting point is right in front of the ice-skating rink in the Stafelwald beginners area.
Restaurants on the slopes
We have one favorite restaurant on the slopes in Saas Fee, which is accessible from the beginners area. Restaurant ‘Zur Schäferstube’ is located on the right side of the t-bar which takes you up on the blue slope on Stafelwald. You will see the sign indicating the restaurant when you are on the t-bar or button lift. You go up, ski down a bit and you can ski all the way to the restaurant which offers great food for a reasonable price and which has a beautiful sun terrace.
We also ate at the Morenia restaurant once, up on the mountain (take the Felskinn cable car up, and ski down, or take the Alpin Express down for those who don’t ski, and then you will be at the Morenia restaurant. This is a typical self-service restaurant, but with a very large choice. Morenia restaurant also has a picnic area for those who would like to bring their own lunch.
Is Saas Fee good for beginners?
Yes, Saas Fee is a good ski resort for confirmed skiers as well as for beginners. At the bottom of the resort you have the Stafelwald area which has 3 different blue slopes to learn to ski on. It also has the Snowli area for the youngest children with magic carpets and cool ski carousels. You can also go up the mountain and still decide to only do blue slopes. Check out the ski slopes map, but in the Morenia area after taking the Felskinn gondola you can definitely ski.
Get cool videos of you skiing down
In Saas Fee, in Stafelwald, and on top of the mountain, you can get your run filmed by the Adrenaline Cup and watch the video later by logging in with your ski pass number on their website, or by simply swiping your card in one of the restaurants like the one in Morenia. This is a nice way to get some quality videos of your skills. You can also do a speedcheck:
Saas Fee in Winter for non skiers
So, what are things to do in Saas Fee when not the whole family is fond of skiing? Saas Fee has an ice-skating rink and a separate area where you could try out your curling moves. The town center has a lot of shops, restaurants and there is a swimming pool and spa near the tourism office which is called Aqua Allalin. There is also a museum called the Saaser Museum which is open on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, so you can learn a bit about the area and its history. You can go all the way up with the highest Alpine Metro and visit the ‘Eispavillion’ which is a really big ice cave with statues made of ice. There are winter walk ways and there is a long sledging run in Saas Fee. The sledging run is a long and sometimes steep run. We did that one with our children when they were small and maybe they were too small back then, but it really is a cool run.
Hotels in Saas Fee
There are several great hotels in Saas Fee, of which some are particularly family friendly, with kids clubs, indoor pools, and other activities. Check out two recommendations here:
How to get to Saas Fee?
By car: You can drive to Saas Fee until the big parking lot at the entrance of the village. There, on one of the platforms, you unload your luggage and call an electric taxi vehicle by calling the number indicated on the platform. Costs are approximately CHF 25 to bring you to your hotel with all your luggage, and from there, your holidays will be car-free!
By public transport: You can take the train to Visp and then a bus to Saas Fee. The bus station is at the entrance of the village.
Magic Pass
Good news for those that go skiing often, is that Saas Fee has decided to partner with Magic Pass from the winter season 2019/2020! Magic Pass is a season ski card valid in several resorts. Other resorts that are included in the Magic Pass and that we have been to as a family are Les Mosses and Leysin, and for hiking in summer: Crans Montana, Villars and Moléson.
Short video of the Alpine Metro and Snow Park with kids:
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